The present invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, to the storage of sitemap files at server sites for storing content information.
It is currently difficult for a user to easily discern what web pages are available at a web site in the World Wide Web (WWW) portion of the Internet. Typically, a user must access each of the pages at a web site in order to determine what pages are available. Moreover, the indexing information, if any, that is maintained at a web site is typically a one-level index that lists the pages that are available for access from a current page at a next level in a hierarchy of pages. In addition, the indexing information is typically only available at the web site and is not available for downloading to the user""s computer. A related difficulty is that search results for searches that are conducted at web sites typically cannot be integrated into the client""s namespace. Moreover, the client is often unaware of the content of a web page until the client visits the web page. Hence, a client may stumble upon offensive material or material that is not suitable for young users.
In accordance with the present invention, a data block is provided on a server that holds information regarding content of hypertext documents, such as web pages, that are stored on a server computer. The data block may hold index information about the hypertext documents or, alternatively, may hold search results that identify which of the hypertext documents meet search criteria. Still further, the data block may hold ratings information regarding ratings of content of the hypertext documents. The data block is downloaded from the server computer, to the client computer and information is extracted from the data block. The information then may be persistently stored at the client computer. The server may be an Internet server or an Intranet server.
The data block or file that holds information regarding the contents of the hypertext documents may be located at a default location on the server or at a location specified by fields within the hypertext documents on the server. The default location may be determined by appending a predefined string to a uniform resource locator (URL) for the server. For example, the string xe2x80x9csitemap.SMPxe2x80x9d may be appended to the URL to identify the default location of the file. Alternatively, a hypertext document, such as a home web page, at the server may hold a field that specifies the location of the file.
The content extracted from the data block may be output on output devices at the client computer. For example, visual representations of the hypertext documents may be displayed on an output device at the client computer. Similarly, audio representations of the hypertext documents may also be output at the client computer. In one embodiment, representations of the hypertext documents are displayed in a first pane of a multi-paned window and contents of one of the hypertext documents are displayed in a second pane of the multi-paned window. In an alternative embodiment, a user interface element, such as a pop-up window, is displayed on top of a window that holds the contents of one of the hypertext documents. This user interface element holds visual representations of at least some of the hypertext documents. A user may be able to access one of the hypertext documents through such visual representations. For example, a user may be able to double click on one of the visual representations in order to invoke a web browser that displays the contents of the associated hypertext document.